Initial D: Drift Kings D Selection
by pilot-tenkawa
Summary: Basically just another Americans go to Japan story.FINAL CHAPTER IS HERE! First 9 chapters now Revised as D Selection! COMPLETED! Season 2 to come soon!
1. Act 1

Act 1:  
A small neighborhood in the outskirts of Chicago, October 12, 1995:

The sound of a telephone echoed through the house. Drew O'Brien, clad in a white t-shirt and jeans, ran to get the phone. He reached it just in time to hear the caller hang up.

Well, he thought, At least they left a message.

Drew pressed a button on the side of the phone receiver.

"Hello, Mr. O'Brien. This is Jim from the Nissan dealership just calling to say that it's here. Okay, so, come on down when you can. Thanks. Bye."

Drew smiled. Well, his shipment had finally arrived. He grabbed his car keys from where they were laying on the countertop. He went out the door, then turned and locked it behind him.

As he walked down from his door to the street, he looked upon his current transportation: an aging 1974 Toyota Corona. Not a bad little car, but near at the end of its usefulness to him.

He opened the door to the black car and started the engine for what would be the last time. Several minutes later, he pulled into the lot at the Nissan dealership. He drove around to the back and parked in the visitor lot. He got out of his car and shut the door, walking quickly toward the display room. He opened the clear glass doors and walked inside.

"Mr. O'Brien! Over here!"

Drew turned to his left and strode to where Jim, the salesman who had handled his order, stood.

"So, where is it, Jim"  
"Right this way. We've got it out back for you."

Drew followed him out another set of glass doors into a lot of special order vehicles. In the far left corner, a dark blue sportscar sat. Jim led Drew over to it.

"Well, here she is.■

Drew shook his head and stepped back a bit to admire his new car. He had had to trade in the Corona, and even then he▓d barely had the money, but it would be worth it.  
It was a new, Nissan 240SX hatchback, entirely stock. But now that it was his, he was going to have change the last part.

4 Days Later, Willow Springs International Motorpark, California:

Three men, all in their mid-twenties, stood in the door of the hangar-like garage, staring out at the tarmac racetrack before them. Three cars sat among the garage equipment behind them. Drew O'Brien turned to the brownish-blond haired man next to him.

"Um, Grant, uh, you wanna go first?"

Grant Hargus shrugged and walked back into the garage. The sound of an engine starting echoed through the metal building. A white car pulled out from the garage and up to the wide, white stripe painted on the asphalt. Grant leaned his head out of the window.

"Okay, Andrew, count me off."

The third man, Andrew Foster, walked out onto the tarmac and stood to the left of Grant's car. Drew felt a small amount of envy rising up in him as Grant revved up his Toyota Supra's engine.  
Even though it was completely stock, its 230HP engine still had Drew's 240SX outpowered by 75HP. Drew's mind returned to his surroundings as Andrew dropped his upraised hand.

The Supra accelerated slowly past the white line, gathering speed. As it neared the first corner, the Supra's brake lights came on. Suddenly, the car turned sideways, tires screeching and smoking.

What the? Just what is he doing? Drew thought, as he watched the Supra slide sideways through the corner. The Supra finished its strange cornering technique and floored it out.

Around two minutes later, Grant's Supra aproached the white line from which it had started. Drew stood with Andrew by the line, a stopwatch in his hand.

The Toyota crossed the white line just as the stopwatch read 1:43. The white car braked, reversed, and pulled back up to the white stripe. Grant brought the car to a halt, opened the door, and stepped out.

"So, how' d I do, guys?"

Drew frowned, "HOW'D you do? More like WHAT'D you do. What was that stunt in the corners, man?"

Grant smiled, "S'called drifting. Real popular in Japan. Took me months to learn to do it well. Fun once you get the hang of it, though."

Drew shrugged, "Call it what you want. Y' show me how?"

"Sure, why not. Hop in and watch."

Drew shook his head, "Nope. I wanna see you do it in my 240."

"Okay. Let's go."

Drew led them over to his car and stepped inside. Grant opened the driver's side door and sat down. He turned to Drew.

"Keys"  
Drew frowned, "Huh? Oh, yeah. Keys," Drew said, handing them over to him.Grant set it in the ignition and turned the key. He pressed in the clutch and popped the shifter into first gear. Letting off on the clutch, he stepped hard on the gas.

The car lurched forward and accelerated, the engine roaring. As they approached the first corner, Grant nodded.  
"Okay, Drew, now watch carefully."

Grant shifted down from 3rd to 2nd and gave a sharp tug on the e-brake, throwing out the back end of the car. He twisted the wheel to the right, adding to and directing the effect of the e-brake.

As the car began to oversteer, Grant turned the wheel to the left, counteracting the car's rightward spin. As they came out of the turn, he straightened out the car. As soon as he had it straight, he pulled off the tarmac onto the side of the road and stopped the car.

"So, what'd you think?"

Drew looked over at him, eyes wide, "That was the most amazing thing I think I've ever seen."

Grant smiled, "Yep. That's what I thought when I started, too. Hey, I was gonna go to Japan sometime soon. Now that you have a decent drifter and Andrew's bought his S14, you all wanna tag along?"

Drew's eyes widened, "Heck yes! When'll we go?"

"As soon as you and Andrew are ready. We're gonna try to beat these Japanese at their own game." 


	2. Act 2

Drift Kings: D Selection

Act 2:  
Tokyo, Japan, May 28, 1997:

Three young men sat on the curbside. A few light pink blossoms, fallen from the flowering sakura trees, were brushed gently across the street by the cool breeze.

So, Drew O'Brien thought, This is Japan. Nice place. But a few too many mountains for my tastes.

Drew pushed himself up from the sidewalk, tossing his empty Coke can toward a nearby dumpster.

"Okay, guys, ready to keep moving?"

The two other men stood, brushing themselves off. One strode over to Drew, pulling a folded paper from his pocket as he did.

"So, Grant, how we doin' on time?"

Grant Hargus unfolded the small map of Japan's largest island. He also withdrew a blue Sharpie from his pocket and popped the cap off.

"Right now," Grant said, drawing a small dot over the word "Tokyo", "We're right here. We need to be," he traced a line down a highway on the map, "Here. Gunma Province. Now, we can just follow this road straight there, up through Saitama, which'll be faster.

Or, we can follow this road up through Nagano, which'll give us more places to stop for food, a motel, etc. So, take your pick, my friend."

Drew though for a moment, "I assume our ultimate destination is this Mount Akina, yes?"

Grant nodded, "I've done a little research into Japanese street racing teams and it seems that Akina has one that may be bad enoug- uh, I mean,...talented enough to be real opponents for us."

Drew raised an eyebrow, "Well, whatever. I've done a little research too, and actually, I heartily concur. I really have no wish to be made a fool of by Myogi's R32 or EG6, Usui's Sil-80, or Akagi's RX-7s."

"Okay, Akina through Saitama, then. Hey, Andrew, pack it up, we're moving out."

The dark-haired man nodded, stood, and walked to his S14. Grant folded the map up again, replaced it in his pocket, and stepped into his Supra. Drew followed suit, sliding into the bucket seat of his 240SX.

He stuck the key in the starter and turned it, bringing his cheaply upgraded 185HP engine to life. He pushed in the clutch, shifted into first, and depressed the gas pedal.

The Next Day:

Drew switched on his turn signal and pulled into the Esso station, Grant and Andrew behind him. He pulled up to one of the pumps, hearing a small ring as he did. A young man in a blue and yellow uniform and with light brown hair came over to him. Drew rolled down the window.

"Konnichiwa," Drew said, trying to remember his half-semester of Japanese. Now he really wished he hadn't quit. The attendant nodded at Drew's greeting.

"Gimme a tank of high octane."

The attendant nodded again, removed a nozzle from one of the pumps, and started re-filling Drew's tank. Drew looked over to his companions, and saw that they, likewise, were being refueled. Drew stuck his head partway out the window and turned to the kid filling his car.

"Hey, you know about a street team called the Speed Stars?"

The brown-haired kid nodded, "Yeah, I know about 'em. Why?"

Drew smiled, "Well, my buddies and I are looking for a friendly challenge, think they're up to it?"

"I don't know. You'll have to ask Iketani-sempai. That's his S13 over there," he said, nodding toward a parked car with a yellow sticker on the hood and rear fender. Drew squinted at it and could barely make out the words, "Akina Speed Stars".

Drew returned his attention to the attendant, "That's cool. Can you set it up for me?"

"Why don't you ask him yourself? He over there, filling up your friend's white car."

Drew frowned, "'My friend's white car'? You don't exactly know a classic when you see one, do you?"

The attendant sighed and Drew could have sworn he heard him mutter, "Not again."

"No," he said, "I guess I don't know much about cars. 1100 Yen, please."

Drew dug around in his wallet, then fished out a wad of bills, handing them to the attendant.

"Okay, I'll go talk to Iketani. Hey, kid, what's your name?"

"Takumi. Fujiwara Takumi."

Drew nodded, "Takumi. Well, Takumi, hope to see ya' around. Can I park over there?"

Takumi nodded. Drew rolled the window back up, started the car, and moved it over to a parking spot, shutting the car off. He got out and walked over to Grant's Supra.

In English, he said, "Hey, Grant, you and Andrew pull your cars over next to mine. I found out how to set up a race with the Speed Stars. I'll be right back."

Drew strode off toward the gas station's building as Grant and Andrew drove over to park next to Drew's 240. Drew walked through the glass door and looked around. Takumi was still outside. Three people, and older man, a young man, and a teen, stood around or sat in front of a TV. Drew walked up to the older man.

"Ah, sumimasen, I'm looking for an Iketani-san."

The man pointed over to the young man who, having just walked in, was seating himself in a chair. Drew nodded thanks.

"Iketani-san?"

The young man looked up.

"Yeah?"

"My name is Drew O'Brien. Myself and my two companions are looking to set up a match with the Akina Speed Stars. Can you help me?"

The man smiled, "Well, my name is Iketani Kouichiro and I'm the leader of the Speed Stars. You want a race, you've got one. 10 tonight, at the top of Akina."

Drew nodded, "We'll be there."


	3. Act 3

Drift Kings: D Selection

Act 3:

The Summit of Mount Akina:

Three cars pulled off to the side of the road, stopping amidst the other gathered vehicles; all bearing the Akina Speed Stars sticker. Drew O'Brien stepped out of his Nissan 240SX hatchback, looking for a person among the gathered crowd. Finding his target, Drew gestured to his two companions to remain in their respective vehicles. He walked toward the man he was seeking.

"Okay, Iketani-san, we're here. Who are we going against?"

The tall young man grinned, "Me."

Drew raised an eyebrow, "Three of us against one of you?"

Iketani shook his head, "No. Each one of you three will race one of our best three, them being myself, Kenji over there, and sigh Itsuki here. You pick who races whom."

Drew nodded, "Deal. The Supra over there races you. The S14'll take Kenji. And I'll take Itsuki's eight-six on."

As Drew said this, the rather insane looking teenager to Iketani's left blushed slightly, "Um, actually, it's an eight-five."

Drew flinched at that, barely restraining a laugh. The teen glared at Drew's smothered snickering, "I know you think my 85's crap, but you'll learn not to underestimate me! After all, it's not the car-"

"It's the driver."

Itsuki nearly jumped out of his skin as a deadpan voice behind him finished his sentence. Drew, startled as well, turned to see the gas station attendant, what was his name? Oh yeah, Takumi. What was he doing here?

Takumi turned to Itsuki, "Are you seriously racing this guy?"

The wild-eyed teen burst into an almost hideous grin, "That's right! With the turbo, my eight-five can stand with the best anyone has to bring!"

Takumi just shrugged, his face never having lost its not-a-care-in-the-world expression, "Fair enough. Good luck, then."

Drew shook his head and turned back to Iketani, "Okay, so are we ready to go now?"

"Yeah. Kenji and your S14 can race first. Hey, Kenji, pull your 180 up to the line."

Drew, too, turned to one of his cohorts, "Andrew, front and center!"

The two cars edged up to the line on the tarmac until they were side by side and about six feet apart. Iketani walked to stand in between the two cars and raised his right hand.

"We start in 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, GO!" He yelled, dropping his arm.

The two Nissans leapt off the line with Andrew's slightly more powerful S14 pulling ahead. He increased his lead as they floored it down the short straight, through the first gentle left corner, and down the longest straightaway.

Coming up on the second corner, and the first one ideal for drifting, Andrew slowed down, but only a little, planning to grip the corner and save his tire strength for the later hairpins. He moved his car to the inside of the corner, gripping through to exit the corner on the far outside, almost nicking the guardrail.

Checking his mirror, he saw Kenji's 180SX use a simple powerslide to move through the corner, he too conserving tire integrity, but to a lesser extent by using a near-drift maneuver. Strangely, though, it brought him closer to Andrew's tail.

Andrew swore under his breath, pressing harder on the gas in an effort to gain more distance on his pursuer. Coming up on the next corner, a gentle right, Andrew shifted down to 3rd gear and did a long powerslide, setting him at a good angle for drifting the next hard right corner.

In the other car, Kenji grinned as he saw the S14 slide through the easy corner. That would cost the S14 speed, speed he didn't have to lose. Kenji kept his speed up, entering the corner on the inside and exiting on the out, losing almost no speed, but in at least, if not a better, position for the next corner that Andrew.

Andrew saw the 180 grip the corner he had just slid through. Gritting his teeth, he shifted back down to 3rd and gave the E-brake a tug, throwing out the back end enough for him to initiate a long drift through the corner.

Back in his 180SX, Kenji smiled again. The S14 had used the E-brake a fraction of a second too much, costing him precious momentum. Kenji too gave the E-brake a gentle yank, but he still had to use the normal brake to kick out the back end enough the drift. His technique was a little harder, but it did give him a few more crucial KPH.

Kenji closed in, slowly but surely, on the 'enemy' S14. Now, coming into a long left, he was practically riding his bumper. The S14 turned hard to the inside, drifting well below his corner's apex. Kenji shook his head; this guy was really a newbie.

Kenji himself held off from drifting until he had too, using only a short slide as he exited the corner. As he gunned it out, he noticed that, instead of being in front, the S14 was now hanging just off his left side, and he found himself looking at the young driver, who, he realized, was probably much like himself.

Andrew grew more and more frustrated as the 180 gained ground on him. As they approached a sharp right, Andrew gunned the engine, faster than a recommended speed for drifting successfully. He stomped on the brake pedal, but he was going to fast as he began to slide.

Kenji saw the S14's brake lights go on. _What the? He's drifting at that speed?_ Kenji slowed and began his own drift as, behind him, he saw the S14 go off the tarmac onto the gravel beyond the road. At that speed, he lost control of his slide once of the grip of the road.

What was once a drift, had became a high-speed spinout. Fortunately, Andrew did have enough experience to keep to car's spin controlled, avoiding damage to his car and injury to himself, that is, except for his pride.

Back at the top of the mountain:

Iketani held a two way radio up to his ear, "This is the end of section 1, the S14 just spun out! He drifted too fast and lost the road. He's okay, but the car's in the gravel."

Drew sighed, it looks like Akina won the first round. Oh well.

"Okay, Iketani, you win this one. Get that eight-five up to the line. I'm ready to go"

TO BE CONTINUED:


	4. Act 4

Initial D: Drift Kings – **D Selection**

Act 4:

Two cars pulled up to the line in the road. Drew sat back confidently in his bucket seat with the red, four-point seatbelt.

_Even if my 240 is underpowered, I should still be able to beat this guy,_ he thought, looking over at the kid in the white Levin next to him. Drew smiled and shook his head, a kid like that shouldn't be racing. Heck, a kid like that shouldn't even be DRIVING.

Drew looked back up at the road as Kouichiro Iketani stepped between the two cars and raised his right hand.

"Remember, if one driver is 10 seconds or more ahead at any checkpoint, they win. Okay, drivers ready?"

Drew nodded and saw Itsuki do likewise.

"5,"

Drew saw Itsuki's grip on the wheel tighten.

" 4,"

Man, that kid was squeezing the wheel so hard his knucles were white!

" 3,"

_Somebody needs to get him some help,_ Drew thought.

" 2,"

Drew leaned casually against the inside of the door.

" 1,"

" GO!"

Drew shifted into first, let off on the clutch, and mashed his foot on the gas pedal, taking an instant lead over the slower Levin. Checking his rear-view mirror as he came up on the first corner, he saw he was still gaining steadily. He let off on the gas a little, but maintained most of his speed through the small curve. A few seconds later, he saw the eight-five doing a gentle slide through the turn.

_What kind of idiot slides in a corner like that?_

As they approached the second corner, Drew let off the gas again and gently tugged his E-brake. The back end of the 240SX lost traction and began to slide. Drew put his foot back down on the gas and turned the wheel to the right, keeping the car stable and on a decent line through the corner. Drew slowed a little after the corner. He wanted to see how that kid could handle drifting.

In a second, the Levin came screeching around the corner. Amazingly, the kid was actually hugging close to his best line!

_Holy crap! How'd he do that? That's a friggin' eight-five! There is NO way I lose today._

Drew shifted up to 3rd and pushed his foot down on the accelerator as hard as he could. He shfited up into 4th, then quickly back down into 3rd as he braked and gripped a gentle right. Drew saw a sharp right coming up and let the gear remain in 3rd, letting off the gas a bit as the engine redlined, revving loudly.

He braked heavily and twisted the wheel hard to the right. The car slipped and began a long, high-speed drift, tires screeching and throwing off smoke.

_Can't slow down to check on the eight-five this time, he might catch up._

Drew evened his Nissan out and floored it. Again, just as Drew reached 4th, he had to downshift again as he feinted right, then did a sharp left turn as inertia and acceleration led his car into another fast drift. As he exited it and acellerated down a short straight, he noticed that the Levin had actually gained on him in the turns!

As it neared him, he heard a high-pitched whistle coming from the Levin.

_He said it was a turbo,_ Drew thought, both bewildered and impressed by the notion of a turbo eight-five.

Drew cursed as the turbo whined faintly again from outside his car. The pressed the gas harder, trying to coax a little more speed from his car. Drew and the eight-five passed the first checkpoint with Drew ahead by only a few meters.

Drew saw the next turn coming from fairly far off.

_Can't slow down if I wanna keep my lead. I'm gonna rush it!_

He kept his foot on the gas as he closed the corner rapidly. He saw the ground by the eight-five turn red as the kid's brake lights came on. Drew also braked, slamming on the brake and clutch as he worked the shifter. However, he had waited too long to to this. He had gambled, and he had lost.

_Oh, crap, I'm coming in too fast! _He belatedly realized.

Drew braced himself against the wheel and tried to turn as much of his car as possible away from the gaurdrail, trying to lessen the impact.

The rear of his car knocked against the metal rail, his angle and the rail's design bouncing it away. But this was a mixed blessing, for as it bounced the rear from the gaurdrail, it spun his nose into it. The front of his car plowed headlong into the rail, bulging out a large section of the rail and mashing itself in. Drew was thrown forward into the airbag as the world spun then went black.

* * *

Drew awoke groggily to the feeling of cold metal on his back. He opened his eyes and found himself sitting up against the gaurdrail a few feet away from what had been his car. Only the middle remained fully intact. Part of the back end had been crushed and the front was now completely totaled.

Drew looked around and saw a crowd of people around as well. There was Grant and Andrew, as well as the several of the Speed Stars, the kid from the eight-five, and that one spacey guy. Just what was his name, again?

Drew shook his head once, then shakily stood up. Grant and Andrew were immediately at his side.

"Hey, man, are you alright?"

Drew nodded, "Yeah, I think I'm good. Just kinda shook up. I knew that racing harness would be a good investment."

Iketani walked over to the three Americans, "Since all that happened, we're willing to call this one a draw and have a re-match sometime."

"That's okay, you all still got two out of three. That, I think, constitutes victory. Well, I gotta see what I can salvage. I'm gonna need to sell a lot to get a new racer. I've only got a couple grand left, too. C'mon, boys."

The Speed Stars watched as the three young men walked off.

"Now there," Iketani said, "Are some people who know how to accept defeat. I can admire that."

Kenji nodded, "Yep. Y'know, I bet they're on par with any of us."

"Probably, Kenji. I hope they do okay."

**-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**A FEW DAYS LATER, IN A TOKYO SALVAGE YARD:**

"Are you sure that's all you can give?"

Drew was busy pleading with the owner, but it seemed to be of no use. Finally, he gave in.

"Fine, 40,000 it is. How about the engine? It's a bit beat up, but it still runs."

"35,000."

"Make it 80 for it all."

"75."

"79."

"76."

"77."

"Done."

Drew smiled and took the wad of bills. This brought him up to $2,870, or 287,000 yen. Not a lot, but hopefully enough for a cheap car.

* * *

**2 DAYS LATER, A TOKYO USED CAR LOT:**

Drew smiled, this was it. He had actually managed to find a good car for cheap! He handed the salesperson 200,000 yen, and took the pair of keys. He walked out into the lot, found the correctly numbered car, and stepped in. He started the engine and listened to the soft purr for a few moments. Then, he pulled out onto the highway in his new car: a black and gray 1983 Toyota Celica XX. And now, he still had 87,000 yen, which should be just enough to turbocharge this beauty.

Later that night, having driven out to the mountain, the three Americans began practicing running Mount Akina's downhill. Drew had managed to get a second hand turbo and intercooler set and a Limited Slip Differential for 82,000 yen, leaving him almost broke, but with a car nearly twice what his 240 had been.

As Drew and his companions continued down the mountain, another car was nearing them. Drew, who was trailing his two friends, first noticed the headlights in his mirror. As the car closed with him, the glare of the lights prevented him from seeing it well. He shrugged and decided to ignore it. He approached another corner and braked, turning into a medium speed drift. He loved how the Celica could glide through the corners. Coming out of the corner, he checked his mirrors again and no longer saw the mysterious car behind him.

_Guess he can't keep up when I start drif- What?_

Drew gaped as he saw the car had pulled alongside and was now passing him. Finally, in his own headlights' glow, he got a good look at the car.

_Hey, isn't that the eight-six that was at the race a few days ago?_

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	5. Act 5

**INITIAL D: DRIFT KINGS D Selection**

ACT 5:

Drew O'Brien swore as he slid his Celica hard through one of Akina's sharp corners. The rear lights of the eight-six still shone, a dim red glow always just beyond his headlights' reach. He popped the shifter down into 2nd, engine braking into a long right-hand turn. He gripped the outside of the corner, nearest the gaurdrail, hoping to conserve speed rather than braking and using the shortest line on the inside.

Up ahead, he saw the eight-six's brake lights flash quickly, illuminating the Gunma countryside with an eerie shine. Then the lights swerved, sliding fast through the corner, leaving a trail of bright afterimages in Drew's eyes. As he approached the corner, he tried to duplicate the eight-six's maneuver. He didn't do quite as well. As the car slid, Drew rapidly lost speed and began to spin. He braked hard and the car slid to a stop as the eight-six vanished around another bend into the night. For a moment, he simply sat there.

_What was that? That could not be any ordinary eight-six. Or that was no ordinary driver._

"So, you guys got passed, too?"

Grant and Andrew both nodded.

Grant spoke, "I saw him pass Andrew in my rear-view mirror, then he blew past my Supra like I was standing still. Do you get that? That eight-six has a 1.6 Liter NA, maybe 140-150HP tops. Maybe. My car has a 3.0 Liter turbo, 255HP, and Andrew's SR20 turbo's pushing 220HP. Y'understand? An eight-six does NOT pass a car like this, which leads me to believe that either A: It's some super turbo eight-six. The problem: I heard no turbo blow-off when he accelerated. So that takes me to option B: that driver is absolutely insane. Problem: I've never heard of any driver that good, except maybe Ryosuke Takahashi, and he drives an FC. Anyway, he's retired now…"

Drew frowned, "So we have a monster eight-six with an unknown driver with skills better than the White Comet?"

Grant shrugged, "That's the basic idea."

"Great. We are so out of our league."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next day, Drew sent Grant and Andrew to attempt to find them a hotel at a reasonable price, so they could quit living out of their cars. While they were gone, he decied to try and find something they could eat:

"Tofu shop...tofu shop...tofu and sushi shop...tofu shop...what is with these people and tofu? And lookie here, another one- what the crap?"

Drew sat for a moment, staring unbelieving. There alongside the shop beside him sat the same Toyota that had passed him last night. He pulled to the side of the road and got out of his car, pausing to read the sign above the door before he entered.

_Fujiwara tofu shop...why do I recognize that name?_

He shrugged and entered the building, hoping to see who the driver was. A small set of bells jangled softly as he shut the door. As it closed behind him, a middle-aged man turned and squinted at him.

_THIS is the driver of that eight-six? Oooookay._

"What do you want?"

Drew shook his head to clear his mind, the older man's voice startling him from his thoughts.

"Ah,oh,um...uhhhh..."

"Well?"

"Uh,...two small boxes of fried tofu, I guess."

"Right."

Drew mentally beat himself several times, this was not in the plan.

He thanked the man and paid him for the food. As he left, he turned back to the man.

"By the way, is that your Toyota by the side of the shop?"

"Used to be. Now it's my son's."

Drew nodded and exited the building.

_Okay, so we all got passed by some geezer's son? Great. Still, I'd like to meet him someday._

As Drew walked back to his car, he saw the door of the eight-six was open and there was a young, brown-haired boy climbing in. Drew decided to indulge his curiosity.

"That your car?"

The kid started, then turned to see Drew, "Yeah."

"You drive Akina often?"

He nodded.

"Every day?"

Another nod.

"At about 4 AM?"

The kid gave Drew an inquiring look, "Yes. Why?"

"You passed me last night."

Drew stepped aside to allow the kid a view of his car. The boy thought for a moment, then a faint sign of recognition glowed in his eyes.

"Yeah, I think I remember. Your technique could use some help."

Drew was taken aback, "What about it?"

"Well, on the last corner, when you spun out, you turned too far in before you counter-steered. With a heavy car like that, you need to turn in less and counter sooner. The weight will do most of the rest. Also, you brake too much. Just let off the gas instead. The sliding will slow you down enough and the inertia will carry you through the corner. Your tires will last longer that way."

Drew was amazed, "And you got all this just by watching me in your rear-view mirror?"

The boy shrugged, "It's kind of a talent, I guess."

"You don't say. By the way, I don't think I ever got your name."

" Fujiwara Takumi."

Drew thought for a moment. The name rung a bell. Where had he heard it? The answer suddenly came to him.

"Wait, I've met you befo- You're not the same Fujiwara from Ryosuke Takahashi's Project D, are you?"

Takumi nodded.

Drew paled. To think he had tried to take on this guy.

_But he looks so young to have that kind of talent._ Drew thought.

"Hello?"

Takumi's voice, like his father's, startled Drew from yet another reverie.

"Oh, um,...sorry. So, where's D headed next?"

Takumi shrugged again, "Who knows. Ryosuke-san never tells us 'till we see the course video."

"Video?"

"Yeah. Ryosuke-san always has someone go scout the course with a recorder, then he beats the video into our skulls over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and o-"

"I get the idea," Drew cut in.

"How about you and your friends? What are you gonna do?"

Drew also shrugged, "Who knows. Get part-time jobs, I guess."

"Well, if you're desperate, I could see if my old man would let you to tofu runs for him while I'm away with Project D."

Drew smiled, "Really? You don't say...I'll have to run that by the guys, but please do ask. Anything'll help. We're kinda tight on cash."

"I know the feeling."

"Right. Well, I'll let you do...whatever it was you were going to do."

Takumi nodded and shut the driver's door. As he pulled away, he rolled down the window, "Good luck to you guys."

Drew smiled, "Thanks."

Drew walked back to his car as the eight-six pulled away. As Drew drove away from the small tofu shop, his cellphone rang sharply. He picked it up, "Hello?"

"Hey, man. We,um...couldn't find a hotel. But we did find a small apartment we can rent for about the same price."

Drew nodded, "That'll probably work out better anyway. We'll be here for a while."

When Drew got to the address they gave him, he saw a small, four story building that, while very tiny, looked quite well kept up.

_This should work pretty well._ He thought, as he parked his car by the curb.

He walked up to the door and knocked, just to make sure he had the right apartment. Grant answered the door at his second knock.

"Took you long enough. What'd you get to eat?"

Drew looked down at his feet, "Ummm...two boxes of...fried..tofu."

Grant arched an eyebrow, "Tofu? That's it? Two boxes of tofu? Yay." Grant let out a frustrated sigh, "Andrew, the next time I ask Drew to do something, remind me to do it myself."

"Hey, at least I brought SOMETHING!"

"If you could call that something."

"Well, I also found us a job."

That changed the other two men's expressions VERY quickly.

"Oh really? Where and what?"

"The Fujiwara Tofu Shop, on Green Shopping Street. We're gonna deliver for the owner while his son's gone."

Grant sighed, "Tofu. Great. Well, at least it'll help pay the rent. Okay, Drew, you got the job, so you'll do the driving."

"Hey, wait! If I do the driving, I should get the money!"

Grant nodded, "You will. One job won't be enough to keep us in house, food, and gas, so Andrew and I are gonna go out later and see if anywhere's hiring."

"Okay. Good luck to both you guys."

LATER THAT NIGHT...

Drew got up from where he sat in front of the TV as he heard the sound of an engine, then of a car pulling up to the curb, then of car doors shutting. He walked to the front door and opened it for Grant an Andrew.

"Any luck?"

"A little. I found a job at an Esso station near Mt. Akina, it's only about 20 minutes from here, so it'll work well. Manager said they just lost a guy to some racing team and had an opening."

"How much is it paying?"

"Not enough," was Grant's only reply.

Drew turned to Andrew, "How 'bout you?"

"I really lucked out," he said with a wide grin, "I got a rather well-paying job at a garage. It's in Akagi, so It'll be a good drive, but I also get a 20 discount on the performance parts and tires they sell, as well as any maintenance."

Drew glared at him, "I hate you. You know you gotta pick up stuff for us now, right?"

"Fair enough."

"So, when do you guys start?"

They answered in unison, "Tomorrow."

Drew sighed, "Same here, only I start at 4AM. Woo-hoo. I get to get up at 3."

"It's your fault for taking the job. You didn't have to. So shut up."

"Yeah, whatever. I guess I'm going to bed, then."

**Act 5 END**


	6. Act 6

**INITIAL D: DRIFT KINGS D Selection**

ACT 6:

Mt. Akina, 4:12 AM:

Drew shifted up, then back down rapidly as the engine over-revved for a split second as he drifted through one of Akina's tight corners.

_Try to remember what Takumi told you. Try to hold it steady. Try not to turn so hard. Let off the gas._

Memories of the previous day's conversation filled his mind, guiding his movements, leading the Celica down the mountain. On these return runs to the tofu shop, he needed to learn as much as he could about driving this mountain. He pressed in the clutch and downshifted as he headed into another corner.

LATER THAT MORNING:

Grant pulled into the Esso station where he'd be working from now on. He parked along one side, right behind a lime-green two-tone S13. As he shut the door of his Supra behind him, he noticed the bright yellow sticker on the rear fender of the Nissan parked in front of him.

_Speed Stars? So I'm back here, eh? Some irony_

As he walked to the main building of the station, two men, both of whom looked oddly familiar, began coming toward him.

Grant waved quickly, "_Ohayoo gozaimasu_. Hargus-desu."

The taller, and seemingly older of the two, gave him a nod, "Iketani Kouichiro-desu. And this is-"

The person he began to introduce suddenly caught sight of Grant's car and, with an amazed an delighted whoop, sprinted toward it. He reached the car and began running his hands over the hood, the mirrors, the doors, the small stock spoiler, and the roof. As he peered inside, he suddenly jumped back a few inches.

"EH!! Iketani-sempai, this is left-hand drive!!!"

Grant looked at the kid, then back at Iketani, "Umm...who is he and why is he groping my car?"

Iketani let out an exasperated sigh, then smiled, "That's Itsuki."

"Yeah, well, can you tell him to be careful with my car?"

Iketani laughed, "That's just his way of welcoming people. So, what can we do for you?"

"Actually, I'm here for a job. I talked to the manager recently and he said there was an opening."

"Okay. He's inside."

"Thanks."

Grant walked through the sliding glass door into the interior of the station, heading for the older man in a green-on-blue uniform who was smoking quietly in one corner of the room.

Grant cleard his throat softly, "_Sumimasen_, Tachibana-san?"

The man looked up at him, "Oh, it's you!"

"_Hai_, I do start today, right?"

The man nodded, "Your uniform's in the back room."

Grant thanked him, then went to get his uniform.

Later that evening, the three Americans were again clustered around the small kitchen table in their new apartment. Drew layed a handful of bills on the table.

"Here's what I got for the tofu run this morning. Unfortunately, I won't have work for a few days, Project D returns tomorrow."

"So, how much'd you get," Andrew asked.

"'Bout 1500 yen."

The other two men winced sharply at that. 1500 yen wouldn't keep the electricity on long.

Andrew broke the uncomfortable silence, "It's a good thing the rent isn't due for three weeks. We'll get our paychecks by then," he said, glancing at Grant as he did.

There was several more seconds of silence before Drew spoke up suddenly, "This is random, but didn't we come over here to drive? Shouldn't we try to, say, join a team, or something? Let's at least challenge someone."

Grant's face brightened, "Y'know, I work with two guys from the Speed Stars..."

Drew's face also lit up, "Yeah! Rematch!!!"

Andrew grinned ferally, "Let's show 'em what we can do."

Drew raised an arm, "All in favor of us challenging to Speed Stars to a rematch."

Two more arms went up.

"All opposed."

All three arms went down.

Drew smiled, "Then it's decided. Grant, you talk to your guys and set up a race. As soon as possible, Akina downhill."

TO BE CONTINUED


	7. Act 7

**INITIAL D: DRIFT KINGS D Selection**

ACT 7:

"A battle? Tomorrow night?"

Grant nodded, "We want a rematch. Downhill on Akina. You game?"

Kouichiro Iketani patted the hood of his Silvia, "You bet we are. 10 o'clock as usual."

"Done."

MEANWHILE, ACROSS TOWN:

Drew opened the door to the tofu shop, the bells rattling softly.

"Mr. Fujiwara?"

Drew walked around the empty shop. He didn't notice the car pull up behind him.

"Mr. Fujiwara?"

"Can I help you?" came a voice from behind.

Drew nearly lept off the ground. He whirled around quickly and found himself staring into a face. He jumped back, then saw who the person was.

"God, Takumi, you nearly killed me."

"Sorry. What did you want my old man for?"

"I came to return the spare shop key that he loaned me. Where is he?"

Takumi shrugged, "Who knows. My guess is he's out looking for a new car."

"A new car? What's wrong with the eight-six?"

"Since he gave me it, he's trying to find something new."

"Oh. Well, okay. I guess I'll give the key to you then."

Drew handed it to Takumi, who placed it in his pocket. Drew turned to head out. As he opened the door, he turned back.

"Incidentally, how's Project D doing? Our apartment doesn't have a computer, so I can't check your website."

"Well, we managed to beat Todou Juku."

Drew's eyebrows raised. Even as an American driver, he'd heard of the Todou Racing School. Their drivers had done incredibly well in pro circuits and were rumored to sometimes do street races.

"Hey, Takumi, race any pros?"

"One. He was amazing, too. I admit I got a little lucky on that race."

Drew nodded, said goodbye, and exited the shop.

Later that night, Grant stood at the bottom of Mt. Akina, waiting. Momentarily, two cars appeared around the final bend. Grant peered into the darkness, trying to see who was leading. Before long, the pop-up lights of Drew's Toyota shone toward him. Grant readied the stopwatch he held, clicking the timer as Drew passed. Andrew's S14 K's AERO followed a fraction of a second later.

Both cars pulled off to the side of the road. The drivers exited their vehicles and strode toward Grant.

Andrew reached him first, "What was our time?"

Grant showed the two of them the stopwatch, "Not bad. Not great, but still not bad."

"Think we're ready for the Speed Stars?"

Grant smiled, "More than likely, yes."

Drew yawned, "Look guys, it's after 4, we've been running Akina for nearly SIX HOURS. Please let's just go back to bed now."

The other two men agreed and all were just about to enter their cars when they heard a high-pitched sound coming toward them.

"Somebody's coming," Drew said.

Grant and Andrew stared at him, "Thank you, Master of the Obvious."

"Geez, all I said was-"

He was cut off by a car's sudden appearance around the corner before them. The pop-up lights glared from either side of the carbon-fiber hood. As the car approached them, the driver began a long high-speed drift, his rear tires smoking. As the car slid past them, all three got a good look at the driver, but only Drew recognized Takumi, eyes concentrated on the road before him.

_That kid has talent. Pure and simple talent. Lucky._

Grant and Andrew maintained a stunned silence for the rest of the night.

The next day, Drew drove to Usui, trying to find a job he could work when he wasn't delivering tofu. After several unsuccessful hours, he decided it was time to stop for a bit. He pulled into the lot of a small restuarant, walking inside at taking a seat at the bar. For a few minutes, he nursed he brew, wondering what he should try next. He barely noticed the person sit down on the stool adjacent to him.

At least, not until they edged closer to him and he noticed the very well filled out top. He turned to the girl.

"Can I do something for you?"

She shrugged, "Not particularly. Just looking at your keys. That your Toyota out there?"

He nodded.

"It's in good shape. You race much?"

Again, he nodded, "Me and two other guys. We live near Mt. Akina. We have a battle with the Speed Stars tonight."

This seemed to pique her intrest, "Really? I have a friend who knows one of them." She was quiet for a few moments, then turned back to him, "Would you mind if my friend rode along with you?"

"Why not."

She smiled, "Really? Great!"

A pleasant hour of casual chatting later, Drew got up to leave. As he did, he handed a few hundred yen bills to the girl, "On me," he said. She grinned, then got up and followed him out the door. She caught up to him by his car, "This is my number. Call me sometime. I'd be interested to set up a race with your team. Oh, and drinks'll be on me next time," she said, winking at him, "I'll bring my friend by in an hour or two. Meet us here."

Drew nodded, got into his car, and sat there for a few seconds. Then he put the piece of paper in his pocket, pulled the bucket seat's harness around him, and headed out for another hour of job searching. As he left, a suprising thought struck him.

_I think I have a girlfriend now. Funny, I'm not even sure what her name is._

Later that night, a cluster of people stood in or around the cars at the summit of Mt. Akina. One man walked quickly across the street, dodging a racer's Honda as he did so.

"So," the man said, "Where's your last guy?"

Grant shook his head, "I'm sorry, Iketani-san, he said he'd be late. He went to Usui today to-"

As soon as Grant said "Usui" Iketani's face turned downcast. He nodded dejectedly and walked back to his car, mumbling something that sounded like, "Ohhh, Mako-chan, why? Why? Why?" that soon devulged into quiet sobs.

Grant whirled around as he heard Drew's Celica pull up behind him.

"Drew, there you are. What took you so-"

He was cut short as someone else stepped from the passenger door. She was tall and had long brown hair, and seemed to have a very quiet air about her. She turned to Drew, thanking him and giving him a quick bow.

"Drew, what was that? Or should I say, who?"

Drew rubbed the back of his neck with one hand, "Her name's Mako. I met her friend at a bar and she asked me to give her a ride here. Said she knew one of the Speed Stars.

Grant, immediatly recognizing the name, looked over at Iketani who had by now noticed the new arrival and passed out cold on the tarmac. Grant put a hand to his forehead, "Well, looks like I won't be racing first."

Drew raised a hand, "I'll go first. I wanna get that Levin-boy. I won't lose this time!"

Grant nodded, "Hey, Kenji!" the Speed Star looked up at him, he continued, "Get Itsuki's Levin up to the line!"

Kenji nodded and dashed off to tell his friend.

Grant waved Drew forward, then moved to stand bewteen Drew's Celica and Itsuki's Levin. He raised an arm, "We go in five!"

"Four!"

"Three!"

"Two!"

"One!"

Grant dropped his arm, "GO!" and the two cars sped past him, Drew's Celica taking an immediate lead.

Inside, Drew smiled, _This is it, I will not lose! I will not!_

Drew braked early as they approached the first corner, tapping the brake quickly several times instead of simply mashing it. He gripped through the corner and saw the Levin follow him.

_Who knows, this could be fun,_ he thought, flooring it out of the corner and upshifting to 3rd.

TO BE CONTINUED


	8. Act 8

**INITIAL D: DRIFT KINGS**** D Selection**

**ACT 8**

Drew O'Brien pressed down on the clutch and moved the shift knob up and to the right. As he gave his Celica more gas, he peered at the sheen of the eight-five's headlights in his rear-view mirror.

_He's gotten better since last time. I'm gonna kill Takumi if I find out he's been teaching him._

Drew let off the gas and gently tapped the brake several times as he entered the next corner; a long, sweeping right. As he hit the apex of the turn, he pressed back down on the gas and downshifted to 4th, accelerating smoothly out of the corner. He saw the eight-five behind him struggle through a long powerslide. He smiled. Yeah, he was going to win this go 'round.

As he gripped the ouside of a high-speed left corner, he saw the glow of an oncoming car.

_Oh God, not now!_

Drew pulled his Celica as far to the outside gaurdrail as he could. As he did, the oncoming car swerved. Drew braced himself against the steering wheel and waited. And waited. He watched in awe as the lights slid past him, the car doing a perfect uphill drift, and missing both him and the eight-five that was trailing him. As the car passed, Drew could make out a single stencil across the bottom of the side of the car. I read, "Twin Cam 1.6".

_What? Who around here would drive a...no, it couldn't be. Could it?_

Drew forced himself to save the thought for later as he saw the eight-five, slowly gaining ground behind him. He pushed the accelerator the floor and watched from the corner of his eye as the speedometer rose to 125KPH...then fell to 75 as he braked hard, sliding into another one of Akina's multitude of corners. The two cars were nearing the end of the mountain now, approaching the Deadly Hairpins.

Drew swallowed, he had never been able to get through these without LOTS of heavy braking. He sighed and hoped he'd built up enough of a lead to hang on. He came fast toward the first corner, remaining in 5th gear and waiting 'till the last possible moment to hit the brakes.

As soon as he began to slide, he knew his line was off. He was going to far to the inside. He stepped hard on the gas, hoping he could power out of the slide, but he was too far in to abort the drift. As he slid, he heard a loud, hollow thunk. After a fraction of a second, he realized his front right tire had fallen into one of the shallow drainage gutters.

He kept his foot on the gas, but the gutter forced his tire sideways, making the car begin to oversteer. He wrenched the wheel to the left, praying he could counter-steer enough to avoid spinning out. Fortunately, the hairpin ended as he counter-steered and his tire slipped out of the gutter.

_Woah. What was that? Note to self: avoid lines that go to close to the inside._

Drew checked his mirror for the position of the eight-five. He saw it slowly accelerating out of the hairpin, the turbo-lag hurting both of their low-end response as the turbines spun up. Drew gunned his car and shifted up as the engine redlined for an instant. Coming up on the next corner, he chose a line nearer the outside rail, longer and slower, but far from the gutters.

He let off the gas, trying to avoid applying the brake for as long as he could. He gripped the gaurdrail as best as he could, letting the rear of the car slip just a little, trusting in the remaining grip his tires had. For the time being, his heating tires held, giving him just enough grip to clear the hairpin. The eight-five followed close behind him.

Drew cursed; how was that car keeping up with him so well? He shifted up again, trying to take advantage of the brief straight before the next haripin. He decided to try drifting the next one. As he approached the corner, he downshifted and turned the wheel hard to the right, quickly counter-steering and stepping on the gas, evening out the car as his now hot tires lost grip, keeping his drift alive.

He watched in his mirrors as the eight-five behind him skidded through another powerslide; it was obviously losing grip, too.

_Okay, if we're both losing tire strength, this will come down to a battle of skill and power, both of which I should win, as long as I can hold him off._

Drew floored the gas again, increasing his lead on the trailing Levin. Coming up on the next to the last corner, he quickly pulled the e-brake, just enough to kick the back end of the car out, slipping into a long drift. As he exited the corner, his Celica lost traction for a moment, slipping sideways for a quick moment.

_No, no, no. My tires are shot. I can not drift the next one, but I don't have enough tread to grip it. But..._

Drew decided to gamble on this one. He gave the brake a few soft taps, then let the weight of his car carry him forward as he downshifted two gears, the engine braking saving his tires from the force of hard braking. He smiled as his gamble paid off, carrying him lightly through the final haripin as the eight-five again did a slow powerslide.

At the mountain summit, Grant sighed in frustration. It appeared Iketani had finally regained consciousness. About time. Grant jumped as the 2-way radio Andrew held crackled.

Grant gestured to Andrew, who handed him the radio, "They finished?" he asked.

"Yeah, it's over. Akina's eight-five lost."

Grant smiled and nodded at Andrew, they knew Drew wouldn't let them down. A few short minutes later, the two cars returned to the summit. When they did, Drew got out and walked toward his two companions...then walked right past them. He finally reached his destination. When he did, he smiled.

"So it is you."

At his words, the man in front of him started, then turned around quickly. Then, his face blossomed into a smile of recognition.

"Drew! What are you doing here? How long have you been in Gunma?"

"Only a week or two. Grant and Andrew are here, too," Drew looked past him for a moment, "So, Johny, you brought it?"

John-Micheal grinned, "You bet I did. You didn't think I'd leave her home did you?"

Drew admired the small car. It was a bright red with "Toyota" in silver across the front grille. It had a set of gold R.S. Watanabe eight spoke rims, a slightly larger, chrome exhaust pipe, a medium size spoiler adorned the trunk lip, and inside were a set of black Recaro bucket seats. Drew stepped back and took in the whole car; a 1985 Toyota Corolla GT-S 2-door coupe.

"So, Johny, you still packin' the twin-turbo?"

"Look for yourself."

Drew popped the latch on the hood, then looked up in surprise.

"What's this?"

"I swapped out the old engine."

"What? Why? You owned the uphill with it back home."

"I know, I know. But I shot the engine about halfway up while racing some guy in a 240SX SE. The guy had the stock KA24, but had upgraded it from a DE to a DETT."

"Woah. So, you lost to another twin turbo?"

"More or less. Anyway, after that, I went on Ebay and found this: a 4AGZE. Put $1,700 into getting the engine and that supercharger tuned and modded to perfection. It'll kick out 285 horsepower now."

Drew whistled, "So, you still have the record for the uphill?"

Johny nodded, "You bet I do. An MR2 once came within 12 seconds of it, but that's the best anyone's ever done."

"Y'know, you wanna hook up with us? We could use a 4th man. Who knows, now that we have an uphill expert, we could even start a team."

Johny though on that for a moment, then shrugged, "Eh, what the heck; why not."

"Really? Great! Here's our address."

Johny nodded and took the scrap of paper, "I'll come by tomorrow evening."

Drew started to reply, but the sound of revving engines grabbed his attention. He twisted around and saw Grant and Iketani edging up to the starting line.

Grant looked over at Iketani, and saw him gesturing to roll down his window. Grant did.

"What?"

"We're going to try something different for our race. We picked this up from a race in Saitama. We usually only do this on narrow roads where we can't get side-by-side, but we'll try it here tonight. We line up one in front of the other. The person in front tries to get a 5 second lead; and the person in back tries to pass the person in front. If neither can do that, we switch positions and go again."

Grant nodded, "Sounds good."

"So, since you're the challenger, you pick which you want: lead or chase."

"I'll chase for the first run."

Iketani nodded and pulled in front of him.

"Kenji," he called, "Get out here and count us off!"

Kenji nodded and ran out into the road, raising an arm.

"Drivers ready?" he called. They both nodded.

"Five!"

"Four!"

"Three!"

"Two!"

"One!"

"GO!"

The two cars lept off the line, the glow of their lights gradually vanishing into the night.

TO BE CONTINUED


	9. Act 9

**INITIAL D: DRIFT KINGS D Selection**

**ACT 9**

The exhuast tip of the lime-green two-tone S13 popped loudly; a small flame appearing for a fraction of a second as the driver shifted, the sound echoing through the Japanese night. In the car trailing it, Grant grimaced from behind the steering wheel. He was glad he had chosen not to lead, though. From back here, he could see all the tiny mistakes Iketani made, as well as how often he made them.

Unfortunately, he had yet as to figure a way he could use that knowledge to his advantage. He guessed that he and Iketani were about equal in skill and that they both knew the mountain to somewhere around the same extent. That meant it all came down to the cars and the technique.

Grant knew he could outpower the S13 in a straight, but always, just as he started to pass, another corner would come up and the S13's lighter frame would give it the advantage; keeping Iketani in the lead.

In front of him, Grant saw the S13's brake lights flash as it did a fast powerslide through yet another corner. Grant waited a short moment after he saw the brake lights to step on the brakes himself, gripping through the corner and hoping to get a little closer to the other car.

As they exited the corner, Grant saw how he would beat the Silvia. He had noticed that Iketani took awhile to get the car even after a powerslide or drift, but now he realized how and where he could use that. He looked out to an approaching road sign. It contained a thick black line, twisted into several sharp bends. Grant smiled. Yes, this should work. This race would end in the 5 upcoming hairpins.

As Iketani came up to the first hairpin, he braked for a moment, then the back end of the Silvia swung out; Grant assumed he had used his E-brake. All the better. Grant braked, slowing his car to around 70 KPH. He gripped the first hairpin, watching as, again, Iketani struggled to get the car straightened. Yes, Iketani had just sealed his fate.

By drifting, Iketani had cleared the corner a bit faster than Grant, but by taking the time to straighten his car, he had sacrificed any chance at the best angle for the second hairpin; meaning he would have to slow down to get a good set-up. Grant had gripped the first corner, making it a little slower, but leaving him more room to adjust his line for the next hairpin, so he didn't have to brake as much.

As Iketani staggered through drifting the second hairpin, Grant easily gripped the corner, closing to where he could have tapped Iketani's rear bumper. They came out of the corner accelerating, but Iketani quickly braked again as he started another drift, hugging the inside. As he did, Grant floored the accelerator as much as he could without losing traction and, as they exited the hairpin, slipped smoothly past the S13.

A few minutes later, both cars returned to the summit, parking along the side of the road. Drew looked to Grant's car as he got out. Grant simply grinned and held up a thumbs-up. Drew nodded and walked over to Andrew.

"Okay, man, looks like you're up next."

Andrew nodded, "'Kay. I'm ready to go," he said, stepping on the gas of his Silvia K's AERO and revving the SR20DET loudly.

The Silvia and Kenji's 180SX pulled up to the line. Kenji stuck his head out of the window.

"What say we run with the same rules as the last race? Good with you?"

Andrew merely nodded and pulled up to lead for the first lap.

Both Nissans stood at the line, revving their SR20s as Iketani walked out to count them off.

"Five!"

"Four!"

"Three!"

"Two!"

"One!"

"GO!"

Kenji and Andrew gunned their engines, both cars leaving long, black streaks down the road and clouds of smoke behind the rear wheels. Several minutes later, Kenji having been unsuccesful in his attempts to pass the Silvia, the two returned to the summit and switched positions for a second run.

Again, the two cars floored it off the line. Again, neither Nissan could gain the upper hand. Or not until just after the Deadly Hairpins...

As Kenji took the first sharp right after the hairpins, the rear of his car slid out; a sudden jerk that swung the car to far toward the inside. Andrew braked and downshifted, closing several crucial meters before Kenji could get the 180SX back in line. In the following corner, Andrew noticed that the 180 slipped again, though the driver was more in control this time.

_His rear tires must be going! _Andrew thought, _I need to make my move now!_

Andrew pressed harder on the gas, pushing the boundaries of this part of Akina's safe top speed. He braked sparingly through the next several corners, sticking close to Kenji's tail. The two rounded the final corner before the finish. Kenji hugged the inside, sacrificing speed for a good line; Andrew took the only other option: the outside; a longer line, but higher speed.

The Silvia pulled up along the left side of its hatchback twin, but Kenji exited the corner and blocked him out before he could pass. The cars passed the finish simultaneously; alongside, but with neither able to pull ahead.

Back at the summit, Drew stuck his head over one of Grant's shoulders, then the other, trying to listen to the radio the other man carried. Suddenly, he was forced to jerk his head back as Grant whirled around to face him.

"Looks like Andrew wasn't able to pass him."

Drew hung his head, "So he lost, then?"

"Did I say that?"

Drew's head came back up.

"Andrew wasn't able to win," Grant explained, "But he did manage to tie, giving us two wins and a draw."

Drew grinned, "Good enough for me."

The two young men turned toward the street as Iketani approached them.

"Well," he said, "You got us. I suppose that means that, with the exception of Takumi, you guys are now number 1 on Akina."

Drew and Grant looked at each other, surprise in both their eyes. Grant spoke first.

"You serious, Iketani-san?"

He nodded, "Yep. Y'know, if you all wanted, you could join the Speed Stars. We could use some people like you."

"I guess we could think about that. We'll have to get back to you on that. So...I suppose I'll see you and Itsuki at work tomorrow. Um...I'll leave you and Mako-san to get re-aquainted."

At the mention of her name, Iketani again went into a strange trance; staring into nowhere. Grant waved a hand in front of his face, then shrugged and walked off; following Drew back to their respective cars.

"Oh, yeah, Grant," Drew said, turning from the door of his Celica, "Are we gonna take up Iketani on his offer n' join the Speed Stars?"

"I dunno. I'm thinking maybe we should pass on this one. I mean, there's four of us right? Get, say, one more guy, and hey, we could form our own team."

"You think so?"

"Who knows. For now, though, let's head back to the apartment; see if Johny's there yet."

Drew nodded and ducked into his car.

Later that night, the four of them sat clustered around a low table, discussing how to continue.

"I think joining the Speed Stars could be a good idea," Andrew said.

Drew though for a moment, "But what are the downsides to that?"

"Well," Grant said, "Unless we want to usurp Iketani's place as team leader, we pretty much have to do what he says, meaning we can't make or take challenges without his approval. Right?" he inquired, casting an eye toward Johny, who rubbed his chin for a moment, mentally working over what Grant said.

After a bit, he spoke, "Yeah, I'ma have to go with Grant on this one. I'm for forming our own team."

"So, then, it's settled?" Drew asked.

Grant shrugged, "I suppose it is. We form our own team. Now we just need one more person..."

Andrew spoke up, "My suggestion would be we go to Akagi. There are a lot of racers there who could easily make it as first-stringers for the Red Suns, but choose not to. Maybe we could recruit some of them."

Grant rose from where he had been seated, "Okay then, tomorrow we go to Akagi. But first, is anyone else up for a quick spin on Akina before the sun comes up?"

Rising suddenly, Drew snatched his keys up off the table, "Let's go!"

The other three men arched eyebrows at him.

"Man, Drew, what's with the sudden enthusiasm?" Johny queried.

"I'm hoping to get there in time to see Takumi do his deliveries."

"Who?"

"Forget it, let's go."

Four cars pulled away from the small building and headed toward the nearby mountain.

Drew swore as he slapped the shifter up into 3rd. Up ahead, he saw Grant and Johny's brake lights flash, then dissapear around the next of Akina's multitudinous bends. Those two were just too fast on the uphill. Downhill, he knew he stood a good chance of beating them both, but uphill, his 195HP 1G-GEU was no match for Grant's 255HP 7MGTE and Johny's 285HP 4AGZE. Even Andrew's 225HP SR20 was having a tough time keeping up. Drew gritted his teeth and pushed on the gas a little harder.

A little later, the four were parked alongside one of the haripins. One of Grant's tires had begun to run low, and now he was using a small hand pump to try and refill it enough to continue. While he and Andrew worked on that, Drew sat back in his bucket seat and sighed; tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. This was sure boring. Suddenly, a pair of lights appeared from around the bend uphill from them. Someone was coming downhill. Very, very quickly.

Drew smiled, _Alright, Takumi! Let's go!_

He shifted into first and floored the gas, pulling out onto the road just behind...a new car.

_What the? An Evo? No, an Impreza! Who on Akina drives a GC8?_

Drew drove faster and saw, as he rounded a corner, that the Impreza in question was tailing Takumi. He watched, gape-mouthed, as Takumi cornered by hooking his inner tires into the drainage gutter; then his eyes bugged as the Impreza duplicated the manuever perfectly. Then, as the two exited the corner and barreled down the following straight, Drew saw something he hoped he would never see again. The Impreza's turbo blow-off valve echoed through the Gunma night as it quickly and efficiently _passed_ Takumi's Trueno easily on the outside. Drew felt the Celica slow as his foot slid from the gas from the sheer shock of what he had just witnessed. He allowed the car to stop, then pushed in the clutch and shifted to neutral.

Before long, a trio of headlights came from behind him and his companions pulled up near the gray and black Toyota. Grant walked up to the car and rapped on the window, which Drew rolled down.

"What was the idea with that?!"

The man he addressed simply sat there, stunned beyond words.

"Helloooooooo," Grant waved a hand in front of Drew's face, "C'mon, man, don't go all Iketani on me."

Drew shook his head, "Um...sorry 'bout that. Hey, Johny?"

The man looked up from his car, "Hm?"

"You've been here longer than us, right?" Drew asked. Johny nodded.

"You know anyone around here who drives an Impreza GC8 two-door?"

"An Impreza? Woah! Didn't know there were any of those around Akina! Don't see them here often!" Johny exclaimed.

_So then who did I just see Takumi lose to?_

**END**

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	10. Act 10

**INITIAL D: DRIFT KINGS**

**Author's Note: Domo arigato, readers! Just to make a note: all the tracks layouts are based on the ones from Special Stage, so any corners I mention should occur the same way in the game. Just a random note, there. And don't flame me if I'm not exactly right, okay. I haven't played Special Stage for several months...since my PS2 passed on...**

**ACT 10:**

Four cars sat parked along the gaurdrail of the Akagi mountain downhill. As every car running downhill rounded the corner, the four owners watched, evaluating the drivers.

Then as they watched, a new car appeared. A black, angular, aggressively shaped car with a long, wide, radiant silver stripe down the rear fenders and along the doors and a simple, subtle bodykit.

Drew, seated in his Celica, nodded at his companions, than shifted up and pulled out to follow the black silhouette. He pulled up close to the other car's tail lights. In the glare of his head lights, the "TOYOTA" stencil on the trunk showed clearly.

_That, _Drew thought, _Is a VERY nice AE92._

Suddenly, the other car flashed its warning lights once and pulled off to the side. Drew followed, stopping his car, but leaving the key in the ignition and the engine idling. He opened the door and stepped out, walking over to the other car.

He rapped on the driver's window, and stepped back as it rolled down.

"Hey, man," Drew said, "This thing handles pretty well for an FF."

The dark-haired man in the low bucket seat smiled at him, "Thanks."

"You part of any team?"

The man laughed, "No, I guess not. Why?"

"We're forming a new team and looking for one more person."

"That so? And I'm guessing you want me in?"

"More or less, yeah."

He grinned devilishly at Drew, "I'll tell you what, I'll join your team if one of you can beat me here downhill. And you only get one try, so choose well who you want to drive."

"Deal. Gimme a minute to pick a challenger."

He nodded and Drew moved off to where his friends were parked.

Johny frowned at him, "So, what's up?"

"He'll join the team if one of us can beat him. But only one of us can try and that's it."

"Okay, so who?"

Grant looked around at the cars, "Well, I'm better uphill, downhill my Supra's weight'll kill me. Johny's Corolla is light and powerful, but he's our uphill specialist. I mean, no offense, Johny, but downhill just isn't your thing."

Johny shrugged and Grant continued, "Anyway, that brings it down to you and Andrew..."

Andrew raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, "Hey, don't look at me. My Touge ability is still very much in development."

Drew nodded, "Alright, then. I guess I'll do it."

He turned and walked back to the Trueno, "Okay, I'm gonna run against you, my buddies are gonna head to the base. Cool?"

"Cool. Let's go."

Drew nodded and walked back to his Celica, buckling the quick-release latch of his racing harness as he settled into the seat. He pulled out into the street following the AE92 and headed toward the summit, with Andrew trailing to count them off. Momentarlily, the three cars reached the top, with Andrew's S14 K's AERO parked along the shoulder and Drew and the AE92 lined up next to each other.

Andrew walked out into the road and raised and arm.

"Five!"

"Four!"

"Three!"

"Two!"

"One!"

"GO!!!" Andrew dropped his arm and fell into a crouch as the two cars shot off the line, a the AE92's lighter weight giving it a slight early lead. Drew smiled and pressed a little harder on the gas as he felt the kick of the small turbine spinning up. His slightly more powerful engine allowed him to close to within a few meters of the AE92 as they gunned it down the first long straightaway.

As they approached the first corner, a gentle right leading into a hard left, the Trueno slowed and gripped the inside, it's responsive FF drivetrain easily taking the sharp cornering. Drew, however, feinted right with the first corner, then spun the steering wheel hard to the left; the sudden weight shift of the car sliding it sideways through the corner.

Inside the Trueno, Kensuke Sakatachi watched the Celica in his rear-view mirror.

_This guy's not bad...this could be pretty fun..._he grinned,_ Okay, let's go!_

He floored the accelerator and upshifted; the backfire from the AE92's exhuast tip echoing above the sound of the engines. He smiled as the Celica gained steadily on him down the next straight.

_He may be good, but he obviously doesn't know Akagi._

Kensuke rapidly twisted the wheel to the right with his right hand as he pulled the e-brake handle with his left, swinging out the rear end of the Trueno. He stepped back on the gas as he exited the corner, his front tires pulling the car straight; leveling him out from the drift.

Back in his Celica, Drew gaped, _It's not often you find someone who has mastered FF drifting. I have to win this. We need this guy._

The AE92's manuever through the sudden right corner had gained it a good 15-20 meters on the Celica, and as the two drifted through a section of quick hairpins, its lead only increased.

_He's got that thing tuned for Akagi, while my Celica's set up for something like Akina or Myogi. This is gonna be a lot harder than I thought._

Drew grimaced as the next corner forced him to downshift and brake hard. He floored the accelerator again coming out of the corner in an attempt to regain some ground on the other Toyota, whose lead was now around 35 meters. He felt a lurch as his cheap turbo caught up with the Celica and engaged, launching him forward an extra few meters, then slowly increasing his velocity.

Rounding the next corner, he cursed as the AE92 increased its lead even more, driving quickly down a straight and sliding into the next corner.

In his Trueno, Kensuke smiled and watched the Celica fall slowly farther behind.

_I hoped you'd be able to keep up a little longer than this. Well, I think this should end soon._

As he entered the next corner, he belatedly noticed a spray of rocks across the side of the road, below a deep scrape in the rock wall.

_Someone must have run into it! Why didn't anyone set up flares or anything?_

He mashed on the brake and pulled hard on the e-brake lever, locking the wheels and putting his car into a long skid. His engine whined and revved up past the redline until he slapped the shift knob down into 1st.

Drew, several dozen meters behind, began braking when the saw the Trueno's headlights illuminate the rock slide. He grinned as the AE92's brake lights lit up and smoke began to cloud behind the rear tires.

_Now's my chance!_

Drew gunned his engine and slipped through the gap between the Trueno and the gaurdrail.

Kensuke swore under his breath as the Celica slipped past him and quickly passed the reach of his headlights.

_It is going to be insanely tough to catch up now. I've only got the hairpins left._

In the Celica, Drew tapped the brake, then stepped hard on it, swinging the rear end of his car out to block most of the opposite lane.

_If I can just keep up enough velocity to drift, I can block the road and keep him behind me._

He pressed harder on the gas to keep his speed up, then slid the front of his foot over to the brake, load shifting and sliding the car around the second hairpin.

Meanwhile at the bottom of the mountain, Grant and Johny stood in the glare of the Corolla's lights.

Grant watched the road as the pair of headlights raced around the upper hairpins, "Is that them already?"

"I wouldn't think so, but then again, I've found people watching have a different perception of time than those who are actually driving."

"Does that apply to stopwatches, too?"

Johny glanced down, the snapped his head back up, "How does Drew shave that much off his time in one night?"

"That's what racing someone good does to you."

"Hey, here they come!"

The painfully loud sound of screeching tires and a cloud of smoke accompanied the two cars around the final corner before the finish.

Johny pointed up the road, "Drew's in the lead!!!"

"Alright! GO!"

As the Celica slid past the finish line, Drew thrust his arm out of the open window in triumph, then stopped the car by the side of the road. Grant and Johny ran over to where the Celica had parked as Andrew's S14 rounded the final corner behind them.

Drew strode over to the Trueno as Kensuke stepped out.

Kensuke smiled, "Well, I guess you got me. Nicely done.," he said, extending a hand to Drew, who shook it.

"Yeah, but you didn't make it easy on me. You have one great Toyota there."

"Thanks. It's also got something a little different. Come here and see for yourself."

Kensuke reached under the gauge cluster and flipped the hood catch. He nodded for Drew to open the hood. He did, and was amazed by what he saw. He looked back up at the other man.

"Can you even do that?"

"You just almost lost to it, didn't you?"

Drew returned his attention to the engine, which at first appeared to be a typical 4AGZE. The valve covers, however, had been painted silver, as well as the, "Twin Cam," and "Supercharger," logos on them, except for the words, "Twin," and "Charger" which were bright red. A closer look at the engine revealed that, buried beneath the hoses and valves, was both the factory supercharger and a small turbo.

"A twincharger. Clever."

"Isn't it?" Kensuke smiled, "It works well, too. But about this team, do we have a name?"

Drew rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, "Um...not yet."

"Uh-huh. Do we have a home?"

"That, yes. We run on Akina."

"Alright, Akina it is. I'll be there at 10o'clock tomorrow. And could I suggest that you maybe think of a name for us."

"Yeah...I'll work on that."

And with that, Kensuke waved to the group, and left, dissappearing into the night.

"Hey, Drew," Andrew said, "We gotta stop by my shop."

"Huh? Why?"

"My boss called me earlier and told me that something I've been waiting for just came in. I need to drop off my car so it can get installed."

"Something, eh? What kind of a something?"

"You'll see."

A half-hour later, the four cars pulled into the lot at the shop. Three parked there, and Andrew pulled his S14 around to the back and tapped his horn once. A light came on inside and the door slid upwards. Andrew edged forward into the garage and shut off the car as his companions rounded the corner of the garage. Andrew stepped out of the car and turned to the young woman who stood by the door into the main shop.

"Konban-wa, Arisa-chan."

"Konban-wa, Fosuta-san. Come on, I've got it right over here."

Andrew waved for his friends to follow, "Okay, guys, I brought an extra stash of money with me when we came here, and I've been adding to it slowly since we got here. Well, to make a long story short, a week ago, I had finally saved up enough for what I was saving for."

The three men followed him to where Arisa stood beside a large, square, tarp covered object. Andrew nodded to her and she pulled the tarp off. Grant, Drew, and Johny collectively gasped. Grant was the first to recover from the shock.

"Where'd that come from and how much did it cost?"

Andrew patted the smooth, black valve covers, "I would think you know where it came from, and as for how much...it was around 150,000 yen."

Wow," Drew said, "So, will you sell the SR20?"

"You kidding?" Andrew laughed, "In two days I'll have an RB26 under the hood, of course I'm selling the SR20."

Arisa raised a hand, "And I can make sure you get quite a bit for it."

Andrew nodded, "Thanks a lot, Arisa-chan. So, I can just leave the car here?"

She nodded, "I'll get it prepped tonight and we can start putting the RB26 in tomorrow."

"Thanks. I'll be back tomorrow."

The four men walked out of the garage and back to their cars. Johny shook his head, "I still can't believe what I saw. Andrew, you are seriously putting a GT-R's RB26DETT in your K's AERO?"

"Yep. Isn't it great?"

Drew set an arm around Andrew's shoulder, "You know this means you're gonna have to get very good, very fast."

"Well, we're running Akina every night for the next several days, right?"

THE NEXT NIGHT:

"So, Kensuke-san, what's your impression of Akina?"

Kensuke leaned back against the door of his Trueno, "Well, it's certainly different from Akagi. Actually, it's a bit higher speed. Also, I think that if someone had the nerve to try, you might be able to do something with the gutters down in those five hairpins toward the base."

Drew smiled, "You're right. Someone has."

"Really? This I have to see. Who is it?"

"The phantom eight-six."

Kensuke eyes brightened, "Ah, so this the eight-six I keep hearing about. I was there for the race with Todo. He is truly amazing. If anyone could try it, I can see how it would be him."

Drew looked at his watch, "Well, he comes through here in about an hour. Tell you what, when he comes, let's tail him," Drew said, the beginning of a plan formulating in his mind.

"What, you think we can keep up?"

"I know we can't. At least, not for long. But let's make a little wager."

"Wager?"

"Yep. 500 yen for every corner you can still see his tail-lights."

"Are you serious, Amerika-jin?"

"Yes."

"So what's in it for you?"

"The satisfaction," Drew said, "Of seeing Takumi-kun claim another victim."

"Sounds like the odds are in my favor then, since I have nothing to lose. I like that. Okay, I'll take you up on your little wager.

And an hour later, the two cars sat idling alongside the road. Suddenly, a set of headlights appeared around the bend uphill.

_Okay, here he comes,_ Drew thought. Then, the car resolved itself into- _What!? It's that Impreza again! Wait, that's...that's Takumi driving!_

"GO!" Drew said, and waved his hand out toward the road, gunning his engine and pulling out behind the Impreza, with Kensuke a scant few meters ahead. Drew saw Takumi round the first corner, drifting out wide.

_Well, first corner. Here we go! Takumi, don't let me down. I don't have much money._

END

Wow, that was long! Actually, I think that was my longest chapter yet. And I did finally put Arisa in! And I'm very sorry if I killed your character, Akamatsu-sama. Anyway, Thanks a bunch for reading! The next chapter may be a while coming, I'll warn you. But please bear with me. Again, thanks a lot, read and review, and no flames, please.


	11. Act 11

**INITIAL D: DRIFT KINGS**

**Author's Note:**** Okay, chapter 11. Updates for chapter 12 will probably be slower than before, since I'll be busy with school and work. Really sorry 'bout that. Oh yeah, to Darkness and Light, that "until" was a typo. It should have been "as". So please be just a tiny bit less critical. Thank you. And just to re-iterate, I do not own Initial D, Toyota, Subaru, Nissan, are anything else related in any way to either one. And also, thanks to Sanae for writing Programmed Lives, which is among, if not the, best Initial D romance fic ever. Mostly because no one's gay. Yaoi is hellspawn. And I hate it with a passion. Ahem Anydangway, sorry about the length of this note. Many things needed to be said. And now, on to the story. **

**ACT 11:**

**A** set of headlights flashed shadows along the Mount Akina treeline. It was soon followed by two more, flickering light across the branches. Rounding a sharp right corner, a gray Subaru Impreza 22b STi appeared, trailing smoke behind the tires. It was quickly pursued by a black Toyota Trueno and a gray/black two tone Toyota Celica Supra.

In the Celica, Drew grimaced as he downshifted from the corner's demanding decelleration, listening to the high-pitched whine of his 1G-GEU turbo descend into a bass growl as the little six-cylinder slowed to 2,500 revolutions-per-minute.

_C'mon, Takumi, _Drew thought,_ I'm already down 1,500 yen. I didn't think Kensuke could keep up with you for this long. Is he just that good, or are you losing your touch?_

He decided to save those thoughts for later, as keeping up with the two cars in front of him was requiring a bit too much of his concentration right now. He pulled quickly on the e-brake, swinging the back of the car wide as, in front of him, Kensuke gripped the inside of the corner, hugging the trees.

Ahead, Takumi again slid the gray 4-wheel-drive through a sweeping right corner, then feinted from that into the following left. Kensuke gripped the shortest line through the center of the "S" curve and Drew gripped through the right, then slipped the Celica around the left with a high-speed braking drift.

Further down the road, Drew saw the road pull into a sudden hairpin right. He smiled. This would all end soon.

In his AE92, Kensuke was also grinning as he watched the Impreza hold to the inside of the approaching hairpin. The fool was going to have to brake way too much to keep inside.

_And THAT,_ _is when I make my move. Drew, my friend, you have truly underestimated me. And overestimated your Subaru buddy. He's good, but I'm better._

As the Subaru entered the corner, Drew's predictions of a swift finish came about. There was a sudden, echoing, scraping sound that lasted for a fraction of a second; then, the WRX was gone. Kensuke gaped while Drew laughed. As the two Toyotas rounded the corner, the Subaru's brake lights were already dissappearing around the next hairpin.

A few moments later, as they approached the parking lot at the base of the mountain, Kensuke flashed his emergency lights and pulled off the road. Drew followed and both drivers exited their vehicles.

"Okay," Kensuke said, "What was that I just saw?"

"Well, it's just like you were saying. He slipped his tires into the gutter."

Kensuke sighed, "Yeah, he got me," then, he smiled devilishly, "But you still owe me 2,500 yen."

Drew groaned.

The next day, the team stood outside the apartment Drew, Andrew, and Grant shared. Drew held a paper in his hands.

"Okay, guys," he said, "Here's our team layout. Kensuke, you're our number one downhiller, with myself as number two. Johny, you're our main uphill driver, with Grant's Supra second to you. And Andrew, your S14 can basically fill any role we need it to, so you go in the middle. So, for battles, here's our order."

He held out the paper for all to see. It read:

DOWNHILL -

1. Kensuke

2. Drew

3. Andrew

4. Grant

5. Johny

UPHILL -

1. Johny

2. Grant

3. Andrew

4. Kensuke

5. Drew

"So," Drew continued, "That's how it'll go. Our next issue; with our extra money pooled into a 'team fund' of sorts, we've got enough to put a little extra performance into our vehicles. Most likely, that will mean overhauls for my Celica and Grant's Supra, and dropping in Andrew's new engine."

Johny nodded, "Okay. I'm good with all that. But there's still one thing we need to tackle."

Drew was stunned, "Huh? What did I miss?"

"A name?"

"Oh. Oh yeah. Um...a name. Right. Ummm...any suggestions?"

They all looked around amongst each other.

Eventually, Andrew spoke up, "Well, we though that since you were kind of our team leader, you'd have an idea."

"Me?" Drew said, his astonishment evident, "Who made me team leader?"

"Well,...nobody, I guess. But I suppose we all just assumed that since you took on all the work for the team leader, you were going to fill that role. But you're dodging the question. Do we have a name?"

Drew sighed in exasperation, "No. I'll try and think of one. In the meantime, we have work to do. Namely, there are five cars we need to mess with. And soon. Since I've been 'elected' team leader, I want us out and doing challenges as soon as possible. That means our vehicles and drivers should be in top shape, and I want everything done a week from today. There's a new team that just set up, just past the Saitama border. They're our first target."

The other four drivers nodded briskly. Grant raised a hand.

"So, what's the plan for the cars?"

Andrew answered for the new leader, "Tomorrow we'll all meet at the shop a work at. Risa gave me the keys to one of the maintanence stalls, so we'll go there and work one car at a time."

"Thanks, Andrew," Drew said, "So, how long do you think it'll take?"

Andrew shrugged, "One, two days. Three at the very most."

Drew nodded, "Sounds good. What time can we start?"

"Probably about 7 or 8 in the morning. Risa usually opens the garage at about 6:30."

"Okay, then. 7 it is."

EARLY THE NEXT MORNING:

Four men and a woman stood around the slowly rising garage door. Once it was completely raised, Drew turned and motioned Grant's white Supra onto the hydraulic lift inside the stall. On it, Grant stopped the car and shut off the engine. As he climbed out, Risa turned back toward the main part of the shop and raised an arm.

"I'm going back to watch the shop. You have the keys, right? Good. Just lock it up when you're through here."

Andrew smiled, "Thanks, Risa-chan. I'll see you here again tomorrow."

She grinned back at him, "You better, or I'll take it out of your check."

He gave an exaggerated wince as she said that, then returned to the team, which had already raised the white Toyota up and begun getting out the parts they had just purchased and the tools they would install them with.

Several hours later, Grant backed the Supra out of the garage stall and into the parking area. The early afternoon sun glinted off the new racing muffler and the polished silver aluminum of the Enkei wheels. Grant got out of the car and ran his hand along the sleek lines of the newly installed aero kit and the large, black spoiler that now sat bolted to his trunk hatch. He looked back to Johny, who stood in front of a computer screen.

"So, what's the dyno say?"

"Come see for yourself."

Grant walked over to the computer and looked quickly over the data. It showed an increase in horsepower from 250 to 315.

"But," Johny noted, "That spoiler and the aero kit will up your downforce, so you'll have better grip than before, too."

"Nice," Grant said, "I like what I see, here."

"Excellent," Drew interrupted, walking in on the conversation," Now, if we can get a little done on my Celica before we leave today, we'll be doing pretty good."

Suddenly, the sound of a car horn startled all three men. Drew spun on one heel, to see that Andrew already had the Celica up on the lift.

"I'm way ahead of you," He called, iliciting a quick laugh from the group.

That night, a Celica, an S14, and a slightly louder Supra pulled into the parking spaces along the street in front of an apartment complex. A pair of Truenos idled in the street beyond. The driver of one rolled down his window.

"So, Drew," Kensuke said, "Tomorrow we head to Saitama?"

Drew nodded, "Yep. Be here at 9 o'clock sharp, you got that?"

Kensuke did a mock salute, "Yes, sir!" Then revved his engine and drove off, Johny's red AE86 following him.

END

Next time on Initial D Drift Kings: THE FINAL INSTALLMENT!!!!!!!!! It's Drew and his team against the new Saitama team: Kamikaze! And you will never guess who their team leader is! Get ready for a double length chapter! Don't miss it!!!


	12. Act 12

**INITIAL D: DRIFT KINGS D Selection**

**A**uthor's note: So, given an inspiration by Sanae's return, I've actually finished this off! And I'm very, very, very, VERRRRY sorry that this chapter is about a year late. This is also the 4th edition, so please be a little easy on me. I've had a lot to do. Also an AE86 doesn't fix/restore itself. And, sorry Kitsune-san, but it's not NSA, though I will have to keep that in mind for the future. No, I've got something much cheesier planned. But it'll work well in later stories. Aaaanyway, I think that's all I've got. Thank you all very much for reading, see you again soon!

ACT 12:

Drew stepped back and rubbed his grease-covered hands on his jeans. Under the hood of the car in front of him, Andrew finished screwing the bolts onto the valve covers, then he too stepped back, shutting the hood as he did. He smiled to Drew.

"Okay, " Andrew said, "I believe this finishes everything, right?"

Drew nodded, "S'right. So, let's move your car out and start forming a strategy."

They both climbed into the Silvia and Andrew slid the key into the ignition. He turned the key and both men sat for a moment, listening to the deep growl of the 2.6 liter engine.

Smiling uncontrollably, Andrew pushed the leather shift knob up into 1st and pulled forward out of the maintenance stall. As he turned from the parking lot onto the main road, he pushed the gas nearly to the floor; relishing in the roar of the inline six engine and the soft whine of the sequential twin turbo.

LATER:

Grant leaned against the wall of the small kitchen, absently nursing a cup of sake.

"And I'm assuming," he said, "We don't know what they drive, right?"

Drew pointed a thumb toward another figure in the kitchen, "Actually, we do. While we were installing Andrew's RB26, Johny went to check it out. You did find out what they have, didn't you?"

Johny held up a thumb, "You bet I did. They've got 9 people. Most of them drive Nissans. Their drivers are okay, but it's their top three we need to worry about. Their team leader has a Z32 twin turbo. I'd guess it's putting out something around 400HP. He's supposed to be pretty good. Other than that, I couldn't find out much about him."

Andrew winced, "Ouch. So is he uphill or downhill?"

Johny shrugged, "No clue. Anyway, their number 2 is just as much of a threat as their leader, if not more. He's a downhiller only, though. I found out a little about him from a couple of their drivers I talked to. He used to be a rally driver. His team won 2 amateur rally cups. After that, he did a few rounds on drifting circuits, drove an SW20."

"Good grief," Drew said, looking a little too worried for anyone else's comfort, "This guy sounds serious."

"You better believe he is. Also, here's an interesting thing about him: he only drives mid-engined cars, specifically MR2s. While he was a rallyist, he had a Mark 1, then as I said, he switched to a Mark 2 for drifting. Now, he's got another Mark 1 that's set up for downhill racing. It's got a 20 valve 4AGE with a turbo. It only puts out around 225HP, but in a car that weighs so little stock - and believe me it's had some weight reduction work done - that makes quite a beast."

Grant downed the last of his sake, then turned to Johny, "Alright, then, so we have an unbeatable MR2?"

"Did I say that? You've had too much sake. I think there is one way to beat him. I saw him drive. I think he has it set up to oversteer like a Mark 2. Of course, this works for him, since he's used to drifting a lot from rally racing and...drifting. But, he shouldn't have had the time to get too well adjusted to having asphalt instead of gravel under his tires. Meaning,"

"Meaning," Drew interjected, "He'll be drifting on, possibly, every corner, but won't have any overly effective strategies in place to preserve his tires."

"Hopefully not."

"Okay, then. How do we counter it?"

Kensuke raised a hand, "My Trueno."

"But his MR2 weighs less and has a little more power."

"True, but I'm our best person on downhill, and I'm our best grip driver. Since my FF doesn't drift much, I can save my tires and move in when his start to go out. Until then, I think I'll have enough power to let me at least keep up."

"Fair enough," Drew conceded, "Okay, then, you'll take him. If that's settled, Johny, please continue."

Johny gave drew a curt nod, "Thanks. Let's get on to the last one we should worry about. Their third up is actually fairly well known on the highways around Osaka, and he has one of the most intriguing vehicles I've ever heard of. He's got a TE27 Levin, but with an SR20 engine swap. I ran against him once just after I got here. That Levin has to be pushing 350HP. Anyway, he's their main uphill racer, so Grant, I think he's gonna be yours."

"Huh? But you're the best uphill driver we have."

Johny smiled, "Yeah, but there's no way I'll keep up with someone with that much more power than me. Especially not uphill. You've got almost as much as he does, so you can keep with him."

Grant pressed a hand to his face for a minute, then turned back, refilling his glass, "I guess I'm gonna need some more, then. Anybody else need a little extra motivation?"

"You know you're not supposed to drink and dr-"

Drew was cut off as Kensuke leaned across him, accepted a brimming sake dish from Grant, and downed it in one swallow.

"Hahhhh, that's the stuff!" he said, shaking his head and handing Grant the empty dish.

Drew shook his head and sighed in resignation.

Johny waved a hand, returning everyone's attention to him, "Got a little more to say, here."

Kensuke sat back in his chair, "Sorry. Continue."

"Thank you. As I was saying; Grant, I think you can take this guy's Levin. And, in the event that any of their other drivers want to challenge one of us, I checked around on their cars, too. All of the rest of the team drive Skylines."

"Woah, woah, woah," Drew interjected, "ALL of them?"

"That's right. But it's not as bad as it sounds. They have one guy with an R33, but otherwise it's all DR30 and R31s."

"Really? You don't see those around as much."

"Yeah, but don't take them too lightly. I'd bet some of them can be pretty formidable."

"True. So, if that concludes it, I believe there is only one other matter to attend to before we get some time behind the wheel."

"What?" Andrew asked.

Drew smirked, "A name."

He left the kitchen for a moment, and the 4 other drivers heard him searching through the cramped apartment. Soon, he returned, bearing several large pieces of vinyl, which he laid on the table. Each was a oval containing blue and silver blur. In the center of each oval was written in silver lined white letters, "Aura".

"I want these on all the cars as soon as possible, alright?"

Everyone nodded in consent. Now that they had a name, they could truly call themselves a racing team.

"Okay, let's go get in a few runs on Akina. Tomorrow, we go do practice on Usui."

"Huh?" Andrew said, "Why Usui?"

"Because it's the closest to what we'll be running in Saitama: a narrow, very twisty road."

"Got it."

Drew turned to the door, then raised an arm to the others, "Let's go, guys. We don't have all night."

There was a great shuffling of chairs as the 5 young men headed from the apartment out to the street where their cars rested.

SEVERAL DAYS LATER:

The five members of team Aura pulled off the road to stop in on the gravel shoulder. The drivers exited their cars and walked over to where their opponents sat on or around their vehicles. One slightly older man standing beside a square, red Toyota stood and stepped out to extend a hand to Drew.

"Ikamei Koji. I assume you are our challengers tonight?"

Drew took the man's hand, "That's right. Are you the team leader?"

The man laughed, "No, not quite. Just a second."

He turned to one of the cars behind him, "Oi! Dani-kun! They're here!"

A shadowed figure bend under a hood lifted his head up and nodded, then walked out into the dim light. He was a young man, probably a few years younger than any of Drew's team, had short, blond hair; and more importantly, he was not Japanese.

Drew almost jumped back a step, "Danny? How did you get here?"

Danny O'Brien smiled, "I bought a plane ticket."

"And the car?" Drew asked, pointing to the black Nissan.

"What?" Danny said, shrugging, "A guy's not allowed to buy a car?"

"Okay, okay, whatever. But um...why did you quit doing Solo II and come here?"

"Well," Danny began counting things off on his fingers, "while you were getting ready to head over here, I started reading about touge racing more, and thought it sounded a lot more fun than time trials. Plus I lost the SA."

"What?! You lost the RX-7? How?"

Danny sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, "Well, there was a guy I beat in autocross that challenged me to run a quarter mile against him for pink slips."

"And you accepted?"

"Hey, I thought he was gonna use the same car! He used an MX-5 for autocross, but I found out later that he had a 750HP Supra for drag racing."

"Yeah," Drew said, wincing, "You didn't really have a ch-"

Andrew coughed loudly, "Could you guys do this later? We've only got a few hours, here."

"Oh. Right. Um...Danny who do you want to run first?"

Danny pointed over to an old, black Levin, "We'll have Tachi do uphill first."

"Alright," Drew said, then turned to his team and called out , "Hey, Grant, you're up first."

The brown-haired man nodded and began to turn to his car, then turned back, approaching the person who was climbing into the Levin.

"Hey," Grant called to him. The man looked up from his gauge cluster.

"_Nani ka?"_

"How much power _do_ you get?"

Tachi smirked, "About 395."

Grant stood in shock for an instant, then extended his hand to the other man, "I think I may be in over my head, but regardless, may the best driver win."

Moments later, Danny stood on the center line in the road waving both Toyotas forward. He raised his arms and both stopped. He then looked to each driver, the two men nodding when they were ready to go.

Danny began, "Five!"

"Four!"

"Three!"

"Two!"

"One!"

"GO!!" he yelled, dropping he arms as both cars roared past him, tires screeching and smoking.

Grant grimaced as the Levin began to pull ahead of him, it's lighter weight and more powerful engine giving it a momentary edge. However, the older Toyota suddenly gained a few meters in a swift burst. Grant arched an eyebrow and decided to catalog the information for later; and then the road once again demanded all of his attention as the Levin powered through a sweeping right corner.

The backfire from the Supra's muffler echoed through the mountain road as the engine dumped unburnt fuel into the exhaust, accompanying the sudden downshift and acceleration through the following sharp right turn. Again the Levin seemed to lose speed for an instant, before pulling forward again with a loud hiss.

_I get it! _Grant thought, _It's his turbo! His turbine gets him more power, but it must also have a bigger lag time! On Osaka Kanjou that may not matter much, but here…_

Grant pushed his Supra faster into the next corner, waiting until the last possible moment to apply the brake, and then doing so only slightly, letting the continuous throttle spin his rear wheels beyond their grip, drifting quickly through the corner, and bringing him closer to the fleeting Levin.

And again, exiting the corner, the Levin slowed briefly as Tachi upshifted and the turbo strained to keep up. Grant pushed the shifter up into 3rd, a faint sound coming from the engine as his small turbo quickly spooled up.

_Good thing I didn't get the bigger turbine, then I'd have the same problem that he does,_ Grant thought, remembering Drew's attempts to persuade him to abandon more meticulous tuning on his engine in favor the more powerful turbo.

He spun the wheel rapidly to the left, swinging the heavy car through the entrance to a pair of hairpin curves, making liberal use of his new sports brakes to slow him enough the grip the inside of the second. Accelerating from the apex, he saw the TE27 lurch again as its turbo, quite literally, kicked in.

_If I can just keep up with him...pressure him...wait for him to screw up...and if he doesn't...I guess I'll just have to think of something._

Grant held in the clutch just long enough to quickly tug the e-brake, tires screaming in protest as the Mk. III Supra skidded toward the guard rail and the canyon below.

_That's gonna cost me..._ Grant thought, cursing his impatience and over-zealousness.

Meanwhile, Drew paced frantically up and down the length of his car, running his hand along the fenders and ignoring the odd stares he was getting from the rival team members. Kensuke walked over to him, "If you're gonna do that, take your hand off the car. You're taking the paint off."

Drew turned, panicked, to his car, then brought his gaze back around to his teammate, "Ha ha, very funny. How's it going?"

"Not so great. They just passed the 3/4 way point, and Grant's still keeping up, but he can't get close enough to overtake."

"Great. Well, hopefully he'll come up with something."

_Okay, okay, _Grant thought, _What do I do, what do I do, what do I do..._

He kept his eye glued to the Levin as it did a low-angle, high speed drift, clipping the line along the inside of the long left corner.

_That's it! He always drifts toward the inside. So if I can stick to the guard rail and keep my speed up..._

At the next corner, another left that started out gentle, then turned sharply and narrowed, Grant decided to try to make a move. The Levin downshifted and braked, the rear end barely sliding and the front end edging into the grass. Grant braked, but only for a fraction of a second, keeping his speed above 90KMH and gently pressing on the gas as he turned the steering wheel. Then, as the corner suddenly narrowed and turned, he braked and spun the wheel, perfectly aligning the Supra with his exit line.

In the Levin, Tachi pulled the e-brake handle, making the car's drift angle increase, and lining him up with the corner exit, when a pair of headlights suddenly dominated his right side-view mirror.

_Nani?!_

He pressed the gas as far as it would allow, but as his turbo spooled up, the pop-up headlights of the Supra slowly edged into his view, then past the end of his hood.

Several minutes later, the triumphant Supra pulled off the road and parked alongside Johny's AE86, which had been parked at the summit, rather than the base, where the rest of the team waited. Grant exited the car and walked over to the red Corolla GT-S.

"First round's ours!" he called, high-fiving the American. Breaking away from the other driver, Grant headed over to his rival.

"That was a close one. Well done," he said, extending his hand.

Tachi smiled and shook Grant's hand, "Thanks. I really thought I had you there."

"You nearly did. Hey, best of luck in the future."

"Same to you."

Grant nodded to the other racer, then walked back to his car to await Kensuke's arrival, which would signal the start of the next race. Before long, Kensuke's AE92 sat alongside Ikamei Koji's red AW11 with Johny between them, both arms raised. He began counting off on his fingers.

"Three!"

"Two!"

"One!"

"GO!"

Accompanied by tire squeal and burnt rubber, the two cars leapt off the line; the lighter and rear-wheel-drive MR2 pulling ahead by a few yards. However, Kensuke's Trueno begun to catch up as the engine neared its redline and the turbo and supercharger combo started working at full capacity.

Then with the first corner, the Toyotas vanished from the view of the spectators at the summit.

Parked at the halfway point, three cars sat off to the side of the road. Takahashi Ryousuke leaned casually against the hood of his white Mazda RX-7. Beside and behind him, his younger brother watched up the hill for the next set of cars to pass by.

"Anou, Ryousuke-san?" a voice came from behind.

Ryousuke turned to the shorter, blonding man, "What is it, Kenta?"

"Well, Project D already finished with all the challenges in Saitama, so why are we still here?"

"We _were _finished. That's why we're here. To see if there are any teams worth D's time."

"Oi, aniki, they're coming."

Ryousuke simply nodded, while Kenta ran up to join his idol alongside the short section of inner guard rail. Suddenly, a pair of headlights flashed through the trees, quickly followed by their respective owners.

The sound of tires followed the two machines as they braked hard into the sharp left corner, followed by the smell of gasoline as fireballs burst from the mufflers of both cars as the turbochargers dumped unburnt fuel into the exhaust.

"Uwaa…they're both pretty good" Kenta mused.

"Maybe," Ryousuke said, "but it's about to end quickly. Did you hear that whine? The Trueno has a twincharged set-up, however, since the supercharger keeps a small amount of constant boost, the turbo shouldn't be letting that much un-ignited fuel through like that."

"So then…"

Kensuke's eyes widened with surprise as the gentle his from his turbo suddenly turned into a metallic shriek, followed by a series of loud clunking sounds. Checking the gauges set into the dash, his surprise turned to horror as the boost meters for both the turbo and the supercharger dropped and rose frantically, then died altogether.

Kensuke stood hard on the brake and pulled the e-brake, skidding his car to a halt mere feet from the treeline.

Back at the summit, Drew spun as he heard the sound of engines. He also noticed that, as Kensuke pulled his car alongside the rest of the teams' vehicles, there was a very bad noise coming from under the hood.

Grant, however, got to the Trueno first.

"Hey, Kensuke, what happened?"

"No clue. I just lost all my boost all of a sudden."

"Pop the hood, I'll check it out."

Kensuke obliged, as Grant propped it open and inspected the redtop 4AGE. He soon gave a low whistle as Kensuke came to stand behind him.

"So, what is it?"

"First, let me ask you this: how old was the turbo?"

"I'm not sure…I bought it second hand, but it was still serviced every few thousand kilometers."

"Well I think it just gave out. It looks like it essentially tore itself apart. So the turbine blades were turned into so much shrapnel. So that's why the turbo died. Then, it looks like some of the metal bits cut the pulley from the crank to the supercharger, which is why you lost that boost."

"Great, so I'm back to N/A."

"Worse that that. Some more of the turbo shrapnel embedded itself in the distributor, so one of your spark plugs wires won't carry a charge any more."

"So I'm down to a three-cylinder N/A. Kusooo…"

"Hey, at least you didn't blow the engine. The block and heads are still good."

"You guys still wanna finish this tonight?"

The members of team Aura turned to again face Danny.

"Yeah, we'll still go," Grant said, "your brother's Celica is still good to run."

"Alright then, I'll have my Z lined up when you're ready."

Drew nodded and, a few minutes later, after assuring Kensuke could make it back to Gunma, he was pulled up alongside the Fairlady.

Drew sat, revving his straight-six engine as Johny ran through the countdown.

_Well, this is it. This is why I'm here._

He smiled, _Okay, let's go._

Johny's hand dropped and the two six-cylinders floored it off the start, brake lights soon vanishing into the night.

TO BE CONTINUED…IN THE NEXT SEASON!

TWO YEARS LATER, HOW WILL THE AMERICAN TEAM HAVE FARED? COMING SOON!

(And I do mean that, this time.)


End file.
